Lauren Bunting Broker MD & DE

Lauren's Blog

Property Value Certificate helpful process for buyers

Friday, July 05, 2024 Lauren Bunting

We are all familiar with appraisals being needed to certify the value of a property sale is adequate for the amount of money being loaned to a buyer, but there is a new method lenders are using to help ...

Read more

Housing market finally starting to turn around in ‘24

Friday, December 15, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Realtor.com released its 2024 Housing Market Forecast and Predictions report recently and the headline was: “Housing Affordability Finally Begins to Turnaround.”Synopsis of the data was as follows:As ...

Read more

HB-107 Reserve Study Wrap-Up

Thursday, June 08, 2023 Lauren Bunting

In the past two week’s article, we reviewed the Maryland General Assembly new legislation requiring all condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives to undertake regular ...

Read more

More Details on New Reserve Study Legislation

Thursday, June 01, 2023 Lauren Bunting

In last week’s article, we reviewed the Maryland General Assembly new legislation requiring all condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives to undertake regular reserve studies ...

Read more

House Bill 107: A Close Look At Condo Reserve Studies

Thursday, May 25, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The Maryland General Assembly has passed new legislation effective October 1, 2022, requiring all condominiums, homeowner associations, and housing cooperatives to undertake regular reserve ...

Read more

The Rise of Single Women in Homeownership

Thursday, May 04, 2023 Lauren Bunting

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), single women comprise the second largest group of homebuyers. As of 2023, single women made up 17 percent of all homebuyers. Contrastingly, ...

Read more

Wetland Boundary Rules Explained

Thursday, April 27, 2023 Lauren Bunting

A wetland delineation is the fieldwork that determines or outlines the boundary between uplands and wetlands on a property. It may be done with aerial photography, digital imagery ...

Read more

Maryland Withholding Tax Explained

Thursday, April 20, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Anyone who sells a property in Maryland, but is a “non-resident” of the state of Maryland, must pay a withholding tax. Recently the Maryland Association of Realtors released information on various ...

Read more

The Rise of Real Estate Wire Fraud

Thursday, March 23, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of REALTORs reports that real estate wire fraud continues to be one of the most prevalent cybercrimes in the U.S. About 13,638 people were victims of wire fraud in the real estate ...

Read more

NAR Publishes 2022 Third Quarter Real Estate Market Recap

Thursday, March 16, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) website, www.realtor.org, has information on county median home prices and monthly mortgage payments across the country. NAR applies the House Price ...

Read more

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Offering Tax Credit for Home Renovations

Thursday, March 09, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The Maryland Department of Housing and The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) administers a State of Maryland tax credit for residents of the state who ...

Read more

NAR’s Adopt to Adapt Program

Thursday, March 02, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The COVID-19 pandemic kicked adaptations into overdrive, so the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently provided a report called Adopt to Adapt, with insight into ...

Read more

Three Helpful Tips to Save on Homeowners Insurance

Thursday, February 09, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Homeowner’s insurance is a necessity if your home is mortgaged, and this type of insurance covers the structure of your home and your personal property, as well as your personal legal responsibility ...

Read more

Maryland REALTORS® Year End Report Highlights Difficult Market For Consumers

Thursday, February 02, 2023 Lauren Bunting

Maryland REALTORS® issued a housing statistics report showing that Maryland home sales dropped 41.9% to 5,124 units in December 2022, against 2021’s figure of 8,818 units. Home sales prices ...

Read more

How RPAC Supports the REALTOR® Party

Thursday, January 26, 2023 Lauren Bunting

 Since 1969, the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC), has promoted the election of pro-REALTOR® candidates across the United States. The purpose of RPAC is to use voluntary ...

Read more

First Time Home Buyers Hit Record Lows While Average Age Rises

Thursday, January 12, 2023 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of REALTORS®’ 2022 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report shows that first-time home buyers have dropped to their lowest numbers on record. NAR further ...

Read more

2022 Real Estate Sales Recap for Worcester County

Thursday, January 05, 2023 Lauren Bunting

2022 was a year in which we saw a shift in the real estate market: increasing mortgage rates, reduction in the volume of sales, but no increase in inventory resulting in prices ...

Read more

New Forms Required For Real Estate Transactions

Thursday, December 22, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Back in the beginning of October, Maryland REALTORS® rolled out changes to its statewide forms library, which contains contracts, disclosures and addenda that members of Maryland ...

Read more

How C-PACE Works For Homeowners

Thursday, December 15, 2022 Lauren Bunting

C-PACE is the acronym for Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy. C-PACE programs provide private financing for commercial property owners to upgrade buildings with energy, resiliency, and environmental ...

Read more

Sustainable Communities Program Adds Three New Towns

Thursday, December 08, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The State of Maryland has announced three new Sustainable Communities and one of them is located here on the lower Eastern Shore. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development announced last ...

Read more

October 2022 Local Market Update

Thursday, December 01, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The multiple list service, BrightMLS, that provides real estate data in the Mid-Atlantic, coveringsix states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and theDistrict of Columbia), ...

Read more

The Appraisal Process

Thursday, November 10, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of REALTORS®’ conducted the 2022 Appraisal Survey, and the results were published showing forty-seven percent of real estate professionals say they have had a transaction fall ...

Read more

Successes of the Weatherization Assistance Program

Thursday, November 03, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Last year, Governor Larry Hogan issued a proclamation that October 30th is Weatherization Day in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is marking ...

Read more

Maryland WholeHome Grants Money for Home Improvements

Thursday, October 20, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The Department of Housing and Community Development in Maryland (DHCD) offers a program called the Maryland WholeHome Program which can help homeowners make valuable repairs ...

Read more

Mortgage Rates Are On The Rise

Thursday, October 06, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The talk about town related to real estate right now is mortgage rates are on the rise. To provide some guidance, here’s what industry experts are saying about the present and possible future ...

Read more

Resolutions to Real Estate Transaction Disputes

Thursday, September 22, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of Realtors explains the differences and the pros and cons to both mediation and arbitration, alternative dispute resolution options when a dispute arises from a real ...

Read more

The New Million Dollar Home Club

Thursday, September 08, 2022 Lauren Bunting

A recent Zillow report is showing that with sales up and values up during the pandemic real estate boom, more homes are selling for over the $1 million mark. The report also detailed that the typical ...

Read more

Maryland’s SmartBuy Program Helps Homebuyers

Thursday, August 25, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Governor Larry Hogan announced last weekthat the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has expanded the state’s landmark SmartBuyinitiative to address rising housing ...

Read more

Keep Your Condo Protected With The Right Insurance

Thursday, August 18, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Condominium associations provide master policy insurance coverage, but a master policy usually covers only the building’s exterior and common areas. To have coverage for what is inside ...

Read more

Tips for Hosting an Open House

Thursday, July 28, 2022 Lauren Bunting

A well-planned open house allows potential buyers to picture how life in this home would be, and in the summer, people tend to be more relaxed; it’s the time of vacations and lazy days. So making ...

Read more

June 2022 Home Sales Update

Friday, July 22, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Maryland REALTORS® released information on statewide June home sales. Their release states that home sales continued to slow down as prices continued to rise, according to ...

Read more

Residential Architectural Styles

Friday, July 15, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Every house has a unique architectural style. Sometimes the architecture is a blend of more than one architectural style due to additions. The National Association of Realtors explains that ...

Read more

Home Showing Trends for May 2022

Thursday, July 07, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of Realtors provides a monthly home showings report based off showing information taken from Sentrilock lockboxes, which are used by the majority of real estate agents ...

Read more

Appraisal Gaps

Thursday, June 16, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Appraisals in a sellers’ market can be troublesome, and transactions can fall apart when appraisals come up short—creating an appraisal gap. An appraisal gap is the difference between market ...

Read more

2022 Update from the Maryland State Legislature (Part 2)

Thursday, June 02, 2022 Lauren Bunting

In 2022, the Maryland State Legislature convened on January 12th and adjourned on April 11th. Maryland REALTORS® issues a report each year on the Maryland Legislative session to summarize ...

Read more

New Affordable Housing Opportunities in Maryland

Thursday, May 19, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Governor Larry Hogan announced at the end of April that more than $200 million in financing tools and new programs will be made available to create new affordable housing opportunities in the ...

Read more

What Is A Title Search?

Friday, May 13, 2022 Lauren Bunting

One of the important steps during a real estate purchase is conducting a title search. The title search is just one of the buyer’s closing cost expenses and is usually ordered ...

Read more

The Fair Housing Act Explained

Thursday, May 05, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The month of April this year celebrated the 54th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, the landmark civil rights law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968, that made discrimination ...

Read more

Maryland Mortgage Program Announces Two New Loan Products

Thursday, April 28, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Maryland Mortgage Program announced the launch of two new loan products to provide higher levels of down payment and closing cost assistance. ...

Read more

Interest Rates Are On The Rise

Thursday, April 21, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The shift in interest rates is in motion. According to Forbes.com, mortgage rates have jumped 1.5 percentage points during the first three months of this year. They further communicated that ...

Read more

Maryland Forest Conservation and Management Program

Thursday, April 14, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Maryland has a Forest Conservation and Management program in place to encourage landowners to manage their forest land in return for a reduced and/or frozen property tax assessment. Any ...

Read more

Understanding Agricultural Transfer Tax

Thursday, April 07, 2022 Lauren Bunting

If a piece of undeveloped land is being sold that has an agricultural use, but it is the intent to change the use to residential, then the Agricultural Transfer Tax and Surcharge applies at the point ...

Read more

3 Tips To Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster

Thursday, March 31, 2022 Lauren Bunting

You know the old tune by Tennessee Ernie Ford: You load sixteen tons, what do you get; Another day older and deeper in debt; Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go; I owe my soul ...

Read more

Buying a Home with Existing Solar Panels

Thursday, March 24, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Solar panels on a home can be a great selling advantage, one that provides very affordable utility bills. This type of technology is called a solar photovoltaic (“PV”) panel system or“Solar ...

Read more

Equitable Interest

Thursday, March 17, 2022 Lauren Bunting

What is equitable interest? An equitable interest is an "interest held by virtue of an equitable title (a title that indicates a beneficial interest in property and that gives the holder ...

Read more

Three Helpful Hints to Save on Homeowners Insurance

Thursday, March 03, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Homeowner’s insurance is a necessity if your home is mortgaged, and this type of insurance covers the structure of your home and your personal property, as well as your personal legal responsibility (or ...

Read more

Doc Lite Loan Program: A Local Loan Solution for Investors

Thursday, February 24, 2022 Lauren Bunting

It’s a hot real estate market right now, but we all remember the real estate “crash era” that began in 2008. That real estate downturn brought about many changes in financing and how loans are approved. ...

Read more

Manage Your Moving Costs

Thursday, February 17, 2022 Lauren Bunting

With inflation and national average costs of moving on the rise, budgeting in this expense when selling your home is important. Below are some tips for having a smooth move when selling.Try to pick an ...

Read more

Worcester County’s Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Program

Thursday, February 10, 2022 Lauren Bunting

Worcester County’s Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Program, which was adopted in 1990, accommodates future growth within the Critical Area, while providing for conservation of fish, wildlife and plant habitats, ...

Read more

Industry Experts Take on the Market

Thursday, February 03, 2022 Lauren Bunting

The number one question most real estate agents are asked right now is "What is the market doing?". The best way to answer that question is to watch the market statistics and listen to the various industry ...

Read more

Property Reassessments & How To Appeal Them

Thursday, January 20, 2022 Lauren Bunting

With property reassessments going out last month for much of Worcester County, property owners might be wondering what their options are if they disagree with the values the county assessment office has ...

Read more

What To Expect In 2022

Thursday, January 13, 2022 Lauren Bunting

According to a recent article released by the National Association of Realtors, consumers can expect slower housing price appreciation, easing inflation and rising interest rates in 2022. This statement ...

Read more

2021 Market Recap

Thursday, January 06, 2022 Lauren Bunting

2021 was another banner year in real estate that ended very strong—here’s an “at a glance” recap of some of the various market stats.The average sales prices varied monthly throughout the year, but September ...

Read more

The National Flood Insurance Program’s New Rating Methodology

Thursday, December 23, 2021 Lauren Bunting

The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) has a new rating methodology, Risk Rating 2.0, and FEMA says it will deliver rates that are easier to understand and better reflect a property’s unique flood ...

Read more

Real Estate Activity in the Holiday Market

Friday, November 26, 2021 Lauren Bunting

A common question from sellers is “when is the best time to sell my house?”. But, the answer to that question is multi-faceted and dependent on market conditions.Traditionally, the slowest buyer demand ...

Read more

Choosing A Tenant

Thursday, November 04, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Landlords have an importantdecision to make when selecting a tenant to rent their investment propertyyear-round. Property owners have traditionally interviewed prospective tenantsin person and asked for ...

Read more

Earnest Money

Thursday, October 28, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Earnest money is a deposit made to a seller that represents a buyer's good faith to buy a home. This deposit money can be called an escrow deposit, good faith deposit, or earnest money. But, whatever ...

Read more

Updates By FEMA To Flood Risk & Policies

Thursday, October 21, 2021 Lauren Bunting

FEMA is changing the way it views flood risk and prices flood insurance. The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) new rating methodology, Risk Rating 2.0, and FEMA says it will deliver rates that ...

Read more

The Effects of Local Zoning Laws

Thursday, September 16, 2021 Lauren Bunting

Local zoning laws affect how a property can be utilized, and therefore, affect a property’s value. When purchasing a property, it’s important to understand the zoning classification so you can research ...

Read more

Home smoke alarm requirements

Thursday, November 05, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Homeowners in the state of Maryland should be aware that as of Jan. 1, 2018, there were new residential smoke alarm requirements put into place, as per a bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly in ...

Read more

Pandemic creates growing homeowner dissatisfaction

Thursday, October 08, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Information from a recent Sears Home Services survey is showing that the pandemic has prompted homeowners to reevaluate their homes.They surveyed about 1,000 people nationwide on how they feel about their ...

Read more

Accessory Structure helps Wor. Homeowners

Thursday, October 01, 2020 Lauren Bunting

In Worcester County, homeowners may utilize the zoning use called the Accessory Structure to gain additional living quarters.The purpose is to allow no more than one accessory apartment per lot of record ...

Read more

Housing prices increase, but appraisals lag behind

Thursday, September 24, 2020 Lauren Bunting

With “for sale” inventory limited in many price points, sellers may be able to ask more for their home.But, sellers need to remember that the home will still need to appraise adequately if the buyer is ...

Read more

Housing market could be stronger

Thursday, September 17, 2020 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of Realtors Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, released a video report that dissects the latest homes sales numbers, talks about what could make the market even stronger, and forecasts ...

Read more

OC area remains in higher demand with low inventory

Thursday, September 03, 2020 Lauren Bunting

At the beginning of the summer, we reported that demand has been very strong in the Ocean City market and surrounding areas since the end of April.Demand in the Ocean City area has remained robust. We ...

Read more

New state legislation impacts HOA and condo associations

Thursday, July 23, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Below is the final summary of the 2020 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly on items that were passed and put into legislation affecting the real estate industry as it relates to both ...

Read more

Md. legislation affects real estate industry and taxes

Thursday, July 09, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Below is a summary of the 2020 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly on items that were passed and put into legislation affecting the real estate industry as it relates to affordable housing ...

Read more

Appraisal of home important part of real estate process

Thursday, June 11, 2020 Lauren Bunting

The appraisal of a home is an important step in the real estate process, one that can certainly make or break a deal.An appraisal is a valuation of a property done by a professional, licensed individual ...

Read more

OC housing market strong because of low interest rate

Thursday, June 04, 2020 Lauren Bunting

Demand has been very strong in the Ocean City market over the past month due to both being in our spring market (although somewhat postponed due to covid-19) and historically low interest rates.With some ...

Read more

LWB Real Estate Report: Flood Insurance Facts

Thursday, May 10, 2018 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) sends a summary of coverage document to homeowners who carry flood insurance. This document provides basicinformation on flood policies, ...

Read more

LWB Real Estate Report: 2017 Year End Figures

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 Lauren Bunting

Maryland REALTORS® released their Maryland Year End sales figures, and announced that in 2017, residential sales in Maryland climbed by 3.2 percent,or more than 2,500 homes across the state. Eighteen ...

Read more

LWB Real Estate Report: Importance of Home Scents

Friday, December 01, 2017 Lauren Bunting

Smells are an important factor when listing your home for sale, right up there with the visual presentation of a home. Top smells to check for are:garbage, pet smells, mold, body odor and tobacco.When ...

Read more

Best return on investment key for remodeling

Friday, February 06, 2015 Lauren Bunting

 "Remodeling” magazine issues an annual “Cost vs. Value Report” that highlights the remodeling projects that offer the best bang for your buck. This year’s report touted the following projects as ...

Read more

Buyer protection often comes from title insurance

Friday, January 30, 2015 Lauren Bunting

Most commonly used in the state of Maryland to protect a buyer and ensure that title to a property is clear and marketable in a real estate transactionis the purchase of a title insurance policy. Title ...

Read more

Web site offers real estate investment starting tools

Friday, April 11, 2014 Lauren Bunting

Have you ever dreamed of delving into real estate investments but didn't know how to get started? There is an online, free resource called BiggerPockets.com that offers real estate networking and information ...

Read more

Home purchasing is a process

Friday, February 07, 2014 Lauren Bunting

So you want to buy a home, but don’t know where to begin. Many prospective homebuyers call an agent to see a property before figuring out what they reallywant in a home and also before the other crucial ...

Read more

NAR provides information on Reach program

Friday, January 10, 2014 Lauren Bunting

The National Association of Realtors recently released information about REach, the strategic accelerator for technology startups created and managedby the NAR's investment fund, Second Century Ventures. ...

Read more

Boomerang Buyers

Friday, March 01, 2013 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: Real Estate Rebound Buyers There is a contingency of buyers referred to as "rebound buyers" or "boomerang buyers"--these are the people who lost homes in foreclosures or short salesduring ...

Read more

Changes Affecting Home Buyers and Sellers

Sunday, April 01, 2012 Lauren Bunting

Changes Affecting Home Buyers and Sellers: Various legislative changes and industry modifications are made throughout the year that can affect both homebuyers and sellers. Here are two of the moresignificant ...

Read more

What to do with your money??

Wednesday, February 01, 2012 Lauren Bunting

Holding out to try and find the lowest price is not always the best strategy...Are your feet stuck in the sand when it comes to investing? Not sure what to do with your money in today’s economic climate? ...

Read more

Move Up Buyers Stuck in Mud?

Monday, August 01, 2011 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: "Move Up" Buyers Stuck in Mud Our real estate market is missing an important element these days. Many homeowners who would like to upgrade to a larger home, commonly referred to asthe ...

Read more

What is a QR code?

Wednesday, June 01, 2011 Lauren Bunting

Have you looked at real estate ads lately, and wondered if there was a printing error that caused a box of squiggly lines to appear?? Well, it's no mistake. It's one of the newest mobile internet technologies ...

Read more

3 Helpful Hints to Save on Homeowners Insurance

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 Lauren Bunting

Real Estate Report: Three Helpful Hints to Save on Homeowners InsuranceHomeowner’s insurance is a necessity if your home is mortgaged, and this type of insurance covers the structure of your home and ...

Read more

Recent Posts

Tags

Archive

Thank you so much for all of your hard work. We are so excited to move into the perfect house for us, and couldn't have done it without your guidance.

Megan and Brandon Cater

My friend was right, you are the hardest working realtor, bar none. I honestly don't think that I would have gotten through this house selling process without you.

Brenda Burbage

Lauren made first time homebuying extremely approachable, and took the time to educate me on everything involved in the process.

Amanda Hanke and Keri Swigert

Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication that made this purchase possible. You advocate for your clients and I highly regard you for it. You made it possible for me and my family to achieve our goal of homeownership.

Tom Harutyunyan

Thank you so much for the very wonderful, professional job you did with selling our property. You will always be special to me.

Penny Carley

We want to say a sincere "Thank You" for all you've done for us! We know at times the road seemed never ending. Thank you for always staying positive even through our ups and downs of this process. We appreciate all you do!

Mike and Patty Locke

Lauren's extensive knowledge of the local real estate market proved to be invaluable during the purchase of our first home.

Allison Shockley and Patrick Molloy

Lauren is very easy to work with. She has helped me sell and buy homes in the area and has always been hard working and professional.

Jennifer K. Leggour

Lauren went through tremendous lengths to look out for us every step of the way all the way to the very end. If you are in need of a real estate agent who will treat your transaction as if it were their own and provide you with nothing less than A+ service you will be in good hands with Lauren.

Shireen and Mark Ambush

We were referred to Lauren by a good friend, and we couldn’t have been placed in better hands. Lauren went above and beyond in every way, throughout the entire process.

Liz Young

Lauren Bunting was our realtor when we recently sold two homes- one in Maryland and the other one in Delaware. To say we were very satisfied with all she did for us is an understatement!

Janet and Bruce Lathbury

MLS Disclaimer


Top
Contact Me
Realtor logo   Equal Housing Opportunity logo